In 2026, CISOs are confronting a landscape marked by unprecedented complexity and heightened risk. The cybersecurity environment is shifting rapidly, fueled by swift AI adoption, new and sophisticated attack vectors, and increasing regulatory pressures.
In this climate, security leaders are called upon to provide strategic direction, build organizational resilience, and steer their teams through continued uncertainty. CISOs are also shifting their focus from purely preventing incidents to minimizing the overall business impact when they occur.
CISOs across Gartner C-level Communities participate in our annual Leadership Perspective Survey of community members every year. Here, we highlight responses from more than 1,000 CISOs who have shared their top priorities and challenges for 2026.
Top Priority for CISOs: Enable & Protect AI
This year, CISOs have identified a new top priority: enabling and protecting AI. Introduced as a survey option for the first time in 2026, this focus area quickly rose to the forefront for security leaders. CISOs are prioritizing the secure adoption of AI within their organizations and leveraging AI to mitigate risks, while also defending against emerging AI-driven threats.
AI Tops the List, Alongside Tool Optimization and Risk Mitigation
CISO priorities have shifted significantly this year. AI, which did not appear in the top five last year, has now taken the top spot, highlighting its rapid rise in strategic importance. Last year’s leading priority, Cyber Resilience, has been divided into two distinct areas: “Assess and Manage Cyber Risk,” now ranked third, and “Increase Organizational Resilience,” which holds the fifth position. These updated survey options reflect the changing landscape for CISOs, as their focus moves from operational concerns to enhancing and optimizing overall security posture.
Top Spending Area: Generative & Traditional AI
For CISOs, their number one planned investment area is aligned with their top functional priority: AI. Forty-three percent of security leaders intend to allocate resources to AI products and services. In addition, thirty-nine percent plan to invest in solutions for data loss prevention, as well as identity access management, multi-factor authentication, and zero trust initiatives.
Top Enterprise Priority: Driving Growth
CISOs’ enterprise priorities remain consistent for 2026, with driving growth continuing to be the top area of focus. In this year’s survey, security leaders also cite cost optimization, creating efficiencies, improving productivity, and increasing revenue as important objectives across the organization.
Each year, security executives from Gartner C-level Communities take part in our exclusive Leadership Perspective Survey. Their feedback helps us design sessions and discussions that address the most pressing priorities at our community events. If you’re interested in joining a local CISO Community, you can learn more and apply here. Current members can sign in to the app to see upcoming events in their area.
Based on 1,085 CISO responses from Gartner C-level Communities’ proprietary Leadership Perspective Survey, March 2026.
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